Portable Chlorie Dioxide Generator

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a safe, disposable and biodegradable chlorine dioxide micro generator that uses water soluble paper and hydrogel or compressed cellulose encased in filter paper pouch. The chemicals are kept in a stabilize form until activated by the addition of water. Multiple levels of protection against early exposure to water such as a foil pouch and an impermeable outer container allow for the safe transportation and storage in small, ready for deployment amounts of the chemicals. Wicking materials packaged around the chemicals provide for the ready introduction of water to the chemicals at the proper time. Water dissolves the paper walls of the chemical pack housings and then the water facilitates the reaction between the acid and the sodium chlorite to form chlorine dioxide gas as will be described further hereunder.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application61/563,723, filed Nov. 25, 2011, entitled Portable Chlorine DioxideGenerator, which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present application relates to a disposable and biodegradablechlorine dioxide micro generator from portable, stable chemicals, usingfor example water soluble paper and hydrogel or compressed celluloseencased in a filter paper pouch.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Chlorine Dioxide (herein also referred to by “ClO2” or “ClO₂”) is aknown biocide and disinfectant. It works by oxidizing single cellorganisms in a known manner to kill the organism. Chlorine dioxide iscurrently used in commercial buildings to disinfect and deodorizevarious rooms and other enclosed areas. It has been known to be used ingymnasiums and other sports facilities to prevent staph infections whilesimultaneously deodorizing the facility. However, ClO2 is an unstablechemical that breaks down especially in ultraviolet light and must begenerated on site by large, bulky industrial equipment making itinaccessible to smaller sites at a reasonable cost.

Because of the inherent instability of chlorine dioxide, it is currentlygenerated as needed. This is typically done by mixing a small amount ofsodium chlorite and acids from large canister reservoirs. The sodiumchloride is mixed with the acid, such as for example, Citric acid,sodium bisulfate, hydrochloric acid, etc. in large, industrialmachinery. The separate canisters prevent unintended or premature mixingof the chemicals, but require porting around excess equipment to thedesired site. It is therefore desired to provide a portable chlorinedioxide generator that can deploy small amounts of chlorine dioxide gas,while ensuring that the gas generation does not occur before the pointof deployment. While the chlorine dioxide is not poisonous, it is at aminimum unpleasant or unhealthy to breathe, analogous to many householdcleaners and thus premature mixing or “leakage” could have unwanted ordeleterious consequences.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a safe, disposable and biodegradablechlorine dioxide micro generator that uses exposure to water to triggera reaction between small quantities of provided chemicals, such assodium chlorite and an acid to produce the chlorine dioxide. In oneembodiment, water soluble paper and hydrogel or compressed celluloseencased in a filter paper pouch surround the chemicals and act to wickthe water to the chemicals at the time of generation. The chemicals arekept in a dry, stabilized form until activated by the addition of waterby multiple levels of protection. These levels include desiccants,physical separation, stabilizers, and impermeable barriers. These levelsprotect against early exposure to water to allow for the safe storageand transportation of the chemicals in small, pre-measured amounts ofthe chemicals suitable for the intended application site.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of a preferred embodiment of theinvention to provide a one time, single use chlorine dioxide generatorthat is safe to use, stable during storage and shipment, and is readilydeployable.

It is another object of the invention to provide a stable environmentfor the sodium chlorite and acids to exist in a single package withoutprematurely forming chlorine dioxide.

It is a further object of the invention to provide packaging for thechemicals that in the absence of water acts to separate the chemicals,and during introduction of water to the packaging facilitates a reactionbetween the enclosed chemicals to form chlorine dioxide.

Still another object of the invention is to provide in at least oneembodiment separate compartments for the chemicals to further forestalla premature or unintended reaction between the chemicals.

It is yet another object of the invention according to at least oneembodiment to provide cellulose material to act as wick to rapidlyintroduce water to the chemicals at the time of reaction withoutinterfering with the release of gas from the system.

It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements andarrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which isinexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing itsintended purposes.

These and other objects of the present invention will be readilyapparent upon review of the following detailed description of theinvention and the accompanying drawings. These objects of the presentinvention are not exhaustive and are not to be construed as limiting thescope of the claimed invention. Further, it must be understood that noone embodiment of the present invention need include all of theaforementioned objects of the present invention. Rather, a givenembodiment may include one or none of the aforementioned objects.Accordingly, these objects are not to be used to limit the scope of theclaims of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an environmental perspective view of a container housing thecomponents of the system.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the components of the system.

FIG. 3 is a break-away view of the chemical pouch and outer housingaccording to at least a first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a break-away view of the chemical pouch and outer housingaccording to at least a second embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a break-away view of the chemical pouch and outer housingaccording to at least a third embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram showing the steps for implementing the system.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistentlythroughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

The present invention is to a single use, compact chlorine dioxidegenerator. As best shown with reference to the drawings, the system andmethod for generating chlorine dioxide is shown. The system includes acontainer 10 (FIG. 1) having a lower cup portion 12 and lid 14 forcontaining all of the parts of the system and for preventing theintroduction of any moisture to the system. As shown in FIG. 2, removalof the lid 14 from the cup 12 allows access to and removal of theoptional components of the system 20. Within the cup 12 are initiallycontained a water measuring cup 22, and a foil pouch 26 containing achemical pack housing 30 and a desiccant pack 24.

In general, the materials are removed from the cup and the chemical packhousing 30 is removed from the foil pouch. A measured amount of waterand the chemical pack housing are placed in the cup in the properorientation, preferably with the chemical pack placed in the cup priorto the water. The water eventually is brought into contact with thechemicals within the chemical pouch 40 and facilitates the reactionbetween the acid and the sodium chlorite to form chlorine dioxide aswill be described further hereunder.

The Components

The cup 12 and lid 14 that comprise the container are preferably made ofan impermeable material, such as paper, plastic, etc. In the mostpreferred form, the cup is made from an impermeable paper so that theelements of the system may be readily be recycled or biodegraded. Thecontainer may be an important layer in preventing premature introductionof any water to the chemicals, but in some circumstances may beoptional.

A foil pouch 26 is provided to house the chemical pack housing 30 duringstorage and shipment and is used to redundantly protect the chemicalsfrom the premature introduction of moisture or liquids to the chemicalsto prevent an unintended reaction of the chemicals with each other. Foilor other impermeable materials can be used on the walls of the pouch 26to prevent moisture in or out of the pouch.

A desiccant 24 is provided within the foil pouch 26 to prevent moisturefrom accumulating within the foil pouch 26 during shipping and storage.One skilled in the art would understand that the use of a desiccant iswell known for lowering the humidity of a closed compartment and thatits use or an alternative humidity lowering device is not necessary forthe operation of the invention, but is merely provided to maintain astable environment. The heart of the system, however, is the chemicalpack 30 housing the chemical pouch 40 with the active ingredientsnecessary for generating chlorine dioxide.

Chemical Pack Construction

The chemical pack housing 30 may have many configurations, several ofwhich are described herein. The configuration used in a particularsystem 20 may vary based on the measure of chemicals used in order toachieve different levels of ClO2 concentrations and with the size ofconfined environment to be treated.

With reference to FIG. 3, the chemical pack housing 30 has an outerfilter paper (or other porous or mesh material) wall 32, preferablyjoined together along a seam 34 joining the halves of the filter paperwall 32 together. Alternatively, any paper wall of the system could alsouse other materials other than water soluble paper. For example watersoluble film could be used, or even non-dissolvable filtration materialcould be used as long as water penetrates to allow the desired reactionto occur.

Within the filter paper outer wall 34, the chemical pack housing isstuffed with a wicking material such as hydro gel or compressedcellulose 36 or other open cell foam/material/synthetic material,preferably having a high wicking capability. More preferably thecellulose takes the form of a sponge 36 as will be described furtherhereunder. The wicking material serves several functions. First, thematerial 36 serves as a physical buffer between the outer wall and thechemical pouch 40 within the outer wall 32. The material isolates andprotects the chemical pouch 4 from jostling and from damage duringshipment. And in operation, the wicking material 40 also acts to rapidlywick the water from outside the chemical pack housing 30 into contactwith the chemical pouch 40 to introduce the water to the chemicalswithin the pouch 40 to cause the chemical reaction.

In a preferred embodiment, the cellulose material of the chemical packhousing 30 is comprised of a number of smaller cellulose blocks 36. Eachblock may be made of a dehydrated, compressed natural sponge or othercellulose source. By cutting a compressed sponge into approximately2/16″ by 2/16″ cubes, it has been found that the wicking properties ofthe sponge increases to optimum levels to wick water rapidly to thechemical pouch 40, while allowing for sufficient pathways for the gascreated in the chemical reaction to escape between the cellulose cubesbetter than a single layer or layers of cellulose material.

The chemical pouch 40 according to at least one preferred embodimentcontains both the sodium chlorite and the activating acid in a singlestructure. To prevent contact and/or an unintended reaction between thechemicals, a stabilizer is provided with and between the chemicals toforestall reaction. A preferred stabilizer is talcum powder (“talc”),but other stabilizers could also be used such as calcium chloride. Onereason that the talcum powder may work well as a stabilizer is that itcoats the granular surfaces of the chemicals to create a physicalboundary between the chemicals. The talcum powder may also lowerhumidity reaching the chemicals to further prevent an unintended,premature reaction between the chemicals.

The stabilizer allows both of the chemicals to be safely stored withinthe same compartment. Housing both of the chemicals within the samehousing has the benefit that once water is introduced to initiatechemical reaction, the acid and sodium chlorite are in close contactencouraging a full and complete reaction with low barriers to theescaping chlorine dioxide gas. The stabilizer also has the addedadvantage of providing a long shelf life for the product in the range oftwo years, well beyond what would be expected for this type of chlorinedioxide generator.

Depending on the size/amount of the chemicals and the intendedenvironment that the chemicals will be used in, it may be desirable tostore the chemicals in separate compartments to further ensure thechemicals cannot come in contact with each other prior to deployment atthe intended site. As shown in FIG. 4, an additional paper barrier 44can be introduced between the chemicals to keep the chemicals furtherseparated. In this embodiment, it is preferred that the acid, such ascitric acid be stored in the top compartment 46 and the sodium chloritein the bottom compartment 48. Instructions or indicia on the chemicalpouch 40 and/or the chemical pack housing 30 may be provided to ensurethat the chemicals are deployed in the proper orientation. Having theacids on top of the sodium chlorite as the paper barrier dissolvesduring introduction of water to the system will ensure the most robustreaction between the acid and the sodium chlorite.

Another embodiment is shown in FIG. 5 having two separate pouches, onepouch 40A for the acid and a pouch 40B for the sodium chlorite. Thechemicals pouch may be secured in close proximity by a tether 41 linkingthe pouches 40A & 40B. While shown in loose configuration in the figure,it may more practical to secure the pouches to each other at one or morepoint such that they maintain proper contiguous or close orientation toeach other.

The chemical pack housing 30 itself may be fabricating with an outerpack wall 32 formed from filter paper filled with a measured amount ofhydro gel (water absorbing polymer) or compressed cellulose 26. Theprocess of fabrication is preferably performed in a room with less than35% humidity and chemicals holding less than 1% humidity, filling thechemical pouch 40 with compound made with 80% technical grade sodiumchlorite, organic acid (i.e., Citric acid, sodium bisulfate, et.) and astabilizer, then heat sealing the chemical pouch walls 40 together. Thechemical pouch 40 is then placed within outer pack (“chemical packhousing”) 30 with polymer and heat sealing outer pouch wall 24. This isthen placed in the foil pouch 26 along with desiccant 24 and the foilpouch is sealed to create a water tight housing. This foil pouch is thenplaced with the other components in the water impermeable container 10,with lid sealed over the cup portion 12 to provide a long shelf lifecontainer for generating chlorine dioxide at the desired time in a smallquantity.

Operation of the System

In operation, as shown in the block diagram of FIG. 6, theself-contained chlorine dioxide generator is capable of creating the gasby the mere arrangement of the provided components plus the addition ofa small amount of water. Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 6, operation of thesystem will be described.

To generate chlorine dioxide from the pre-packaged system, the lid 14 ofthe container 10 is separated from the cup portion 12. The components,namely, the measuring cup 22 and foil pouch 26 are removed 62 from thecontainer cup portion 12 and set aside

The chemical pack housing 30 is prepared by first removing 64 the pack30 from the protective pouch 26. The desiccant 24 (also in foil pouch26) is used merely to remove moisture from the interior of the container10 and is no longer required, so may be discarded or otherwise disposedof or recycled.

The proper orientation of the chemical pack housing 30 is thendetermined to maintain the chemical pouch within the pack housing in theproper position. The chemical pack housing 30 is then placed 66 in thecup in the desired orientation.

With the chemical pouch properly placed in the cup 12, the measuring cup22 is then filled 68 with the required amount of water (not shown) usingindications on the cup or in accordance with provided instructions thatmay be provided. Once the proper amount of water is measured 66, it ispoured into the cup 12 on top of the chemical pouch to initiategeneration of the chlorine dioxide.

The water is first absorbed by the outer paper wall 32 of the chemicalpack housing causing the paper walls to dissolve. The cellulose or hydrogel 36 then acts as a wick to direct the water at the desired rate tothe active chemical pouch 40 (or 40A & B). As the water is absorbed bythe hydro gel or compressed cellulose 36 in the outer pouch 30, itpushes the inner chemical pouches 40 upward against the outer pouch 30,creating a pillow-like gel bed, where the chemical pouch walls 42 maydissolve and initiate the chemical reaction by mixing all the chemicalstogether.

The outer paper walls 42 continue to dissolve in the water allowing formore water to reach the chemicals and stabilizer within the chemicalpouch. Where the chemicals are stored in separate compartments (46,48FIG. 4) or separate pouches (40A, 40B FIG. 5), interposed walls breakdown in the water and allow the chemicals to react and proceedanalogously to the single pouch embodiment.

When sufficient water has permeated into the chemicals to overcome thestabilizer, the acid and sodium chlorite can react with each other toform a chlorine dioxide gas. The gas then percolates out through thecellulose and through gaps in the outer chemical pack housing walls 32that have dissolved. The gas continues to expand and flow out of the cup12 into the enclosed environment around the cup. The chlorine dioxidegas oxidizes or otherwise eliminates single celled organisms within theenclosed space around the cup, preferably killing any odor causingorganisms. After a short period of time, the chlorine dioxide thenbegins to break up into salts and water. Since only a small amount ofgas per volume of room is required to neutralize the organisms, theamount of salt and water should be negligible and should not create aneed for separate cleanup of the resulting byproducts. In this way, theself-contained chlorine dioxide generator generates sufficient gas todeodorize a confined space and breaks up easily to into simple,environmentally friendly compounds. The articles left after the process,namely the chemical pack 30, and active ingredients as well as the papercup can be recycled or will biodegrade. And unlike the commercial gasgenerators, there is no industrial equipment or canisters left after theapplication of ClO2 at the site to haul away.

Slow Release System

An alternative to adding water to the cup is to merely deploy the systemas the chemical pack housing 30 within the cup and allow the ambienthumidity of the surrounding environment to slowly allow the gradualintroduction of water to the chemicals. Eventually as the humidity levelof the interior of the chemical pack 30 and later chemical pouch 40 riseto the level of the room, the chemicals will slowly react to the watercarried by the air to the chemical pouch 40. The time that the humiditytakes to reach the chemicals could be enhanced by scoring the walls ofthe chemical pack 30 or simply by removing the chemical pouch 40 fromthe chemical pack 30, however this is not desirable because the chemicalpack 30 acts as a fuse to delay the introduction of water/humidity tothe chemicals and this may be defeated by removing the chemical pouch 40from the pack. Additionally, the chemical pack housing 30 acts aphysical boundary between the chemicals and the user to furthersafeguard the user from the chemicals.

Water Suspended Chlorine Dioxide

A similar process could also be used to create chlorine dioxidesuspended in water by introducing the chemical pack housing 30 to alarger volume of water. In such case, certain components of the systemmay be unnecessary, such as the cup 12 and measuring cup 22. Thechemical pack could be provided within the foil pack, and deploymentcould be as simple as dropping the chemical pack 30 (when removed fromthe foil pack) into a large volume of water to initiate generation ofthe gas. If the volume of water is contained in a closed tank of water,the ClO2 will stay within the water for a longer period of time insteadof being released from the water as a gas. A pump/sprayer on the tankcould be used to spray ClO2 containing water on a desired spot to removeodor or to kill single cell organisms or other affected materials.Alternatively, the pouch could be dropped into an open volume of water,and a mop or similar device could be used to apply the ClO2 containingwater.

The housing 30 could be provided within a webbing, netting or otherhousing configuration to prevent the housing from be introduced todownstream pumps, for example in a system that pumps the combined waterand chlorine dioxide directly onto the desired areas. Additionally,individual components of the system can be made to be dissolvable ornon-dissolvable as needed for various applications.

While this invention has been described as having a preferred design, itis understood that it is capable of further modifications, uses and/oradaptations of the invention following in general the principle of theinvention and including such departures from the present disclosure ascome within the known or customary practice in the art to which theinvention pertains and as maybe applied to the central featureshereinbefore set forth, and fall within the scope of the invention andthe limits of the appended claims. It is therefore to be understood thatthe present invention is not limited to the sole embodiment describedabove, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of thefollowing claims.

We claim:
 1. A system for generating chlorine dioxide, comprising: achemical pouch housing active chemical ingredients including sodiumchlorite and an acid; a stabilizer coating said sodium chlorite and saidacid to allow for water-free storage of the sodium chlorite and acid inclose contact without allowing a reaction between the sodium chloriteand the acid; said chemical pouch having a non-water resistant outerwall for allowing water to pass through said wall into said activechemical ingredients; wherein introduction of water to said activechemical ingredients activates said active chemical ingredients to formchlorine dioxide.
 2. The system for generating chlorine dioxide of claim1, wherein said active chemical ingredients in said system only includesodium chlorite and an acid.
 3. The system for generating chlorinedioxide of claim 1, wherein said chemical pouch outer wall is made ofdissolvable paper.
 4. The system for generating chlorine dioxide ofclaim 1, wherein said chemical pouch is contained within a chemical packouter housing, said chemical pack having a wicking material between atleast one outer wall and said chemical pouch to wick water from an outerwall of said chemical pack to said chemical pouch outer wall.
 5. Thesystem for generating chlorine dioxide of claim 4, including a foilpouch for storing said chemical pack containing said chemical pouch in awater-free state to prevent water external to said foil pouch fromprematurely reaching said active chemicals.
 6. The system for generatingchlorine dioxide of claim 5, including: a nonpermeable cup for storingsaid foil pouch, chemical pack and chemical pouch in a water-free stateduring storage; and a measuring cup for measuring an amount of water tobe added to said active chemicals to form the chlorine dioxide at apreselected time of activation.
 7. A method for generating chlorinedioxide, comprising: providing a chemical pouch housing a activechemical ingredients including sodium chlorite and an acid, saidchemical pouch having a non-water resistant outer wall for allowingwater to pass through said wall into said active chemical ingredientsduring activation of the active chemical ingredients; providing astabilizer within said chemical pouch for coating said sodium chloriteand said acid to allow for stable storage of the sodium chlorite andacid in close contact without allowing a reaction between the sodiumchlorite and the acid prior to addition of a preselected amount ofwater; and introducing water to said chemical pouch to cause water tobreach through said chemical pouch outer wall and overcome saidstabilizer to allow contact between said active ingredients to causesaid active chemical ingredients to form chlorine dioxide.
 8. The methodfor generating chlorine dioxide of claim 7, further comprising: storingsaid chemical pouch in a chemical pack; said chemical pack having anamount of wicking material within said chemical pack to secure saidchemical pouch within said chemical pack and physically separated fromat least one portion of said chemical pack wall by said wickingmaterial; said chemical pack having a non-water resistant housing wallfor allowing water to pass through said housing wall, such that theintroduced water contacting the chemical pack wall travels through saidchemical pack wall and is wicked in to contacting said chemical pouchwall to cause a reaction between said sodium chlorite and said acid. 9.The method for generating chlorine dioxide of claim 8, furthercomprising: providing a foil pouch housing selectively surrounding saidchemical pack and chemical pouch for preventing moisture from contactingsaid chemical pack outer wall prior to introducing water with saidchemical pouch.
 10. The method for generating chlorine dioxide of claim9, further comprising: providing a cup formed of non-water permeablematerial for storing said foil pouch, chemical pack and chemical pouchduring shipment; and for placing said chemical pack containing saidchemical pouch within said cup during the introduction of water to thechemical pouch to form chlorine dioxide gas within said cup.
 11. Amethod for generating chlorine dioxide, comprising: providing a firstnon-water permeable housing for storing a chemical pack; said chemicalpack having outer walls formed of a non-water resistant material; saidchemical pack having a water wicking material stuffing within saidchemical pack outer walls and a chemical pouch within said wickingmaterial stuffing; said chemical pouch having chemical pouch outer wallsfor containing active chemical ingredients within said chemical pouchouter walls; said active ingredients comprising at least sodium chloriteand an acid within said chemical pouch; providing a stabilizer withinsaid chemical pouch to separate said active chemical ingredients and toprevent activation of the active chemical ingredients prior tointroduction of a preselected amount of water to the chemical pouchduring an activation step; introducing water to the chemical pouch byremoving said chemical pack from said non-water permeable housing andallowing water to contact said chemical pack outer walls; saidintroduced water permeating or dissolving said chemical pack outer wallsand contacting said wicking material; said wicking material wicking saidintroduced water into contact with said chemical pouch outer wall; saidintroduced water permeating or dissolving said chemical pouch outerwalls and contacting said active ingredients and said stabilizer; saidintroduced water dissolving or washing away said stabilizer to allowcontact of the sodium chlorite with said acid to form chlorine dioxide.12. The method for generating chlorine dioxide of claim 11, wherein saidstabilizer is a talcum powder.
 13. The method for generating chlorinedioxide of claim 11, wherein said chemical pack is replaced within saidfirst non-water permeable housing and the introduced water is broughtinto contact with the chemical pack within said first non-waterpermeable housing.
 14. The method for generating chlorine dioxide ofclaim 13, wherein said chemical pack is stored within a secondnon-permeable housing within said first non-water permeable housing, andsaid chemical pack is removed from said first non-water permeablehousing and from said second non-water permeable housing prior toreplacing the chemical pack within said non-permeable housing and theintroduced water is then added to the first non-water permeable housingto bring the water into contact with the chemical pack.
 15. The methodfor generating chlorine dioxide of claim 14, wherein said firstnon-permeable housing is a paper cup and the second said non-permeablehousing is a foil pack, and said introduced water is in the form ofliquid or vapor.
 16. The method for generating chlorine dioxide of claim11, further comprising: providing a measuring cup within said firstnon-water permeable housing for measuring a preselected amount of waterto be introduced to the chemical pouch.
 17. The method for generatingchlorine dioxide of claim 11, wherein at least one of said chemical packouter walls and said chemical pouch outer walls are formed fromdissolvable filter paper.
 18. The method for generating chlorine dioxideof claim 11, wherein said chemical pouch includes at least one interiorwall for separating said sodium chlorite from said acid prior tointroduction of said water, and said at least one interior walldissolves when said water is introduced to allow contact between saidacid and said sodium chlorite.